It’s time for Volume One Chapters 4 and 5 in todays Heroes rewatch. I don’t really remember much about the details of every episode, especially in the later seasons, which is why I’m doing and enjoying this rewatch. Season one had such an impact, and then season two was cursed to be during the writers strike. Not to say it hurt them at all, quite the contrary I and others still enjoyed it. But no season had the same effect on fans as season one did. Season four came closest for me, but something about that first season was incredible.

Ok, let’s get into chapter four, “Collision”. Insert warning about spoilers here. It begins right where chapter three left off, with Matt waking up hooked up to machines and looking at HRG. HRG admits to drugging Matt and that they’re running tests on him. HRG admits he doesn’t work for “any organization with initials.” Matt tries to hear his thoughts but The Haitian is there, blocking his powers. HRG says everything that’s happening won’t matter tomorrow. Matt hears Claire’s name in HRG’s head, and HRG tells The Haitian to go deep and clean everything out, which means The Haitian can wipe memories.

Hiro and Ando make it to Vegas and are in a casino. Hiro has left messages for Isaac in Japanese, wanting to learn English to warn him of what’s coming. Ando knows English and will teach them. Their paths cross with Niki and Micah – this is a Linderman casino. Neither party realizes the significance of this crossing. One of Linderman’s people offers Niki a deal – the debt will be forgotten if she does him a favor by seducing a politician from New York (guess who that could be) giving Linderman insurance in his investment.

Dead Claire is in the morgue. When the branch is pulled out of her brain, she awakens to find herself in the middle of an autopsy. Luckily, no one else is there. She wraps herself up and sneaks out back home. In the morning, Claire’s dad discovers Claire was out all night. Claire says nothing happened, but HRG doesn’t really believe that. It’s so clear that he truly loves Claire, so the question is what is he doing with other special people?

Claire tells Zach she wants nothing to do with the quarterback, whose name is apparently Brody but that still doesn’t matter. He sees Claire alive and well and panics, running away. The girl from the bonfire confronts Claire, revealing quarterback did the same thing to her. They see him flirting with another girl, and Claire has revenge in her eyes. She meets him after school, asking for a ride and if she can drive his car. She discusses the night of the bonfire with him, seeing if he’ll say anything. She’s driving too fast, and mentions what he did to her. He’s a dick about it all, saying she can’t do anything, so he crashes his car while they’re in it.

As Nathan is leaving for Vegas, Monhinder runs up to him trying to talk to him about his powers. Nathan tells his people to get rid of him but keep an eye so he doesn’t follow him to Vegas. In another part of Manhattan, the love triangle continues. Peter’s apartment is visited by Nathan to discuss Mohinder’s appearance, thinking Peter set it up. Nathan tries to pay Peter off and Peter goes back into his apartment so the love triangle can continue. As Peter and Simone discuss Isaac, Peter reveals that he might believe Isaac.

Eden brings Mohinder a package containing his father’s ashes. Mohinder reflects on how he hasn’t really mourned his father and considers giving up on his father’s work. That is, until Peter comes to his door. Mohinder is skeptical because Peter isn’t sure what exactly he can do; with Nathan he flies, with Isaac he draws things that come true, but alone he can do neither. They plan to go to Isaac’s together.

Simone goes to Isaac’s to get new paintings for her gallery. Isaac won’t give her the new pieces, the ones that show the future. Simone still won’t believe him even though Peter was in Isaac’s art before they’d ever met. Isaac believes he can save the city from exploding. We finally get to see how Isaac’s gift works. He believes he needs to be high to paint the future, so he sets up a canvas and takes drugs. In his mind, he is standing over the event he is going to paint, in this case a cheerleader (Claire) running away from a man (most likely Sylar). Peter and Mohinder are knocking while he paints. Isaac wakes up eventually and sees his new paintings, all seemingly in the same place – the school Claire goes to. They feature Claire, Peter, Hiro, and Ando.

Ando is gambling away all of the money he and Hiro have. Hiro begins using his powers to ensure that their money does not go away. Honestly, Hiro is the cutest character. Time is frozen, no one can see or hear him but he sneaks around anyways and he hates that he’s using his powers to cheat, but Ando talks him into more. Once they finish and try to leave, they are taken by Linderman goons and thrown out. In the alley, some men from the poker table they cheated at confront them.

Niki and Tina, her friend, talk about the blackouts and the odd reflections. Tina theorizes that Niki saw something horrible and it broke her inside. Niki plans to go through with Linderman’s favor until she’s actually with Nathan, and then she leaves unable to continue. In the elevator, however, Niki is being threatened if she doesn’t go back. Something changes in her and she says “Niki isn’t here,” kicks the guy’s butt, and goes to finish the job. It’s important to note that Reflection!Niki has a tattoo of half a DNA strip, the symbol of the show, and Niki does not. As they sleep, HRG and The Haitian are in the room, planning to take one of them.

Back on the train after being unsuccessful, Peter and Mohinder are talking when everything suddenly freezes – except Peter. He looks around, unsure of what’s happening. He meets Future!Hiro, warrior looking and fluent in English. He has a message for Peter…and chapter four is over.

Chapter five, “Hiros”, opens on the subway with Peter, Mohinder, and Future!Hiro. Future!Hiro is taking a risk talking to Peter, but he saves the cheerleader has to be saved and that Isaac will know, and when Hiro calls they have to meet. Here we get the great slogan, “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World”. Time returns, no one knowing anything except Peter. He tries to convince Mohinder, who doesn’t believe him.

In the hospital in Texas, Claire is fine but quarterback is very much not. Claire’s mother calls HRG, who is in Vegas with The Haitian….and Nathan Petrelli. As the phone rings, Nathan escapes and flies away. He is clearly in control of his power. Niki wakes up alone, with no memory of the night before. Linderman’s people tell her she is free of her debt.

Matt’s wife is at home, worried for the husband she supposedly doesn’t love. Matt wakes up on the couch, groggy with no memory even though his wife says he’s been missing for a whole day. He can still hear thoughts, and finds it promising that she still worries about him. Matt orders a romantic dinner secretly, having taken the day off of work to spend it with her. He’s so sweet and wants to shower her with love. He has gotten all her favorite things, and she things that he’s doing this because he cheated on her. He tells her this is untrue and they reconcile. Matt goes to get his wife her favorite ice cream, and while at the store he hears everyone’s thoughts and stops a robbery. Everyone’s thoughts overwhelm him after.

Hiro and Ando are thrown into the desert with their things. They find a diner, and go inside, fighting. In the middle of the fight, Hiro sees waffles on the menu and gets adorably excited about it. Ando leaves Hiro, and Hiro looks out the window to see Nathan Petrelli land, once again becoming adorably excited (I really love Hiro, I’m so sorry). Nathan enters, and sits to get coffee and a t-shirt. Hiro is amazed by him. He goes to talk to him, but doesn’t know what to say besides his name. He calls Nathan Flying Man, and Nathan tries to deny it. Hiro tells Nathan about his power and Nathan is unsure what to do. Nathan’s car arrives and he offers Hiro a ride back into the city.

Hiro finds his car in the parking lot, ready to go but with no idea how to drive the car. Nathan and Niki confront each other, neither realizing that they’re different and special. Niki reveals they blackmailed her and that they’ll do the same to Nathan. Niki returns home to find police there. Micah is safe, and Tina tells them they’re looking for DL, who is near by. Micah doesn’t believe that DL did anything or killed anyone. Niki thinks he is to blame for her blackouts and the murders that happened. While the cops are there, Ando shows up, not knowing where else to go. Niki gently breaks his heart and lets him leave. After the cops leave her home, it’s shown that DL was hiding there all along.

HRG comes to the hospital, and he and Claire have a heart-to-heart, Claire revealing that she crashed on purpose because of quarterback. HRG says no one will know about what happened. He goes to quarterback’s room, and he isn’t alone. HRG threatens quarterback, but instead of killing him, he promises a new life, erasing all the terrible he’s done and hoping he’ll be decent. The Haitian is there, and HRG tells him to take everything. The next day, Claire goes to Brody to talk to him, and Brody has no idea who she is or who he is.

Peter goes to Isaac, who is not receptive until Peter reveals he believes his paintings are the future. He’s still cold to Peter, but he lets him look at the paintings. Peter arranges them as if a page in a comic book. Peter is trying to interpret while Isaac is reflecting on how he feels his life is ruined. Peter finds an unfinished piece showing Sylar’s shadow standing over something. Peter tries to convince Isaac to finish it, but Isaac thinks he can’t without the drugs. So Peter stares at it and begins to see how it’s meant to be finished. Isaac watches Peter finish it, hears that he drew a stick figure future without the drugs. It gives Isaac hope.

Ando goes back to Hiro, who is still with the car he doesn’t know how to drive. Ando finally begins to go along with Hiro’s plan to save the world and suggests they call the artist again. Peter and Isaac are together, the painting is finished, and they know they have to save her. The phone rings and Isaac says to ignore it because it’s just a Japanese guy with a wrong number. Peter knows it isn’t though and answers. Peter tells Hiro he has a message for him, and thus ends chapter five.

As I said, I remembered the basics of these episodes, but it’s great to go back and get all the details again, especially with Heroes Reborn coming. If these recaps are interesting and you want to watch Heroes, the entire series is on Netflix.

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